This week’s Shoe Design of the Week is from Katharine a bride who loved her Upper Street bridal shoes so much, she couldn’t wait until her wedding day to share them with us. Inspired by her heroine, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine created her unique bridal shoes, with a touch of blue and is now a relaxed bride-to-be with her shoes safely wrapped in tissue. Over to Katharine to tell you more.

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Kat and I am a bride-to-be from a tiny village in Hertfordshire who dreams big about my big day. I am an Operations Manager for a veterinary healthcare and insurance company by day, but the rest of my time is currently spent day-dreaming and planning for my wedding in 2014 at Gaynes Park in Epping. I also run a Facebook ‘community page’ called W-Day Forte which allows brides to be and brides who’ve been (or bride gurus as I call them!) to share ideas, experiences and recommendations. It’s a great outlet as we can all talk weddings and compare notes without boring our nearest and dearest senseless!

What inspired your shoe design?

The blue bridal satin ‘ribbon’ across the front of the shoe will be a key colour on the day.  I was thinking ‘Would Audrey Hepburn like them?’ when I was designing them and decided maybe she would. I wanted shoes that were quite simple and elegant looking, but most importantly, I wanted them to reflect who I am.  The original design template was for a double D’Orsay (open) side, but I decided to customise them further by having a single D’Orsay on the inside of shoes only.

Upper Street were very accommodating of my request – in fact, it was no trouble at all for them! Size was of also a concern with my ‘odd in between size feet’ that usually cause me problems when shopping on the High Street, but I explained my predicament to Upper Street and supplied my exact measurements (following their online guide) and the shoes fit perfectly!

The shoes also perfectly complement by dress, but I can’t say any more than that (promise you a pic in 2014 though!).

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?

I was over the moon when my shoes arrived.  I had such high expectations for them as they are so personal to me, but the reality exceeded these! They really are my dream shoes brought to life. I had no concerns about the size as even if they had been a little too small or big I knew that Upper Street would have adjusted them free of charge.

Have you worn your shoes yet? What did your friends think?

My friends and family adore them and love their originality. I have since purchased an Emma Gordon clutch bag which was customised by Emma with a dusky blue satin bow to complement the shoes. As you will see in the pictures they are a match made in heaven! I’ve only tried my shoes on and they are now back in their lovely box waiting patiently for their big day…..a lot more patiently than me! I literally cannot wait to wear my shoes. I am going to make sure they make their way into lots of the photos on the day!

Thank you Katharine for sharing your stunning bridal shoes with us! It’s obvious you can’t wait to wear them on your wedding day and we look forward to seeing your wedding photos.

If you are interested in designing your own bridal shoes, our bridal shoe design guide has plenty of tips and advice.  You can also browse our bridal shoe gallery where you can customise all the designs.

Alternatively you can book a personal appointment with us at the Shoe Lounge in our Islington Townhouse where you can try shoes on for sizing and view swatches of our huge range of materials. To book call us on  + 44 (0) 845 680 9365 or email us iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

design your own bridal shoes with Upper Street >>

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

This week’s Shoe Design of the Week is brought to you by Kate Foster, a 50′s inspired bride-to-be from the South East of England. We absolutely love her alternative purple leopard studded peep toe bridal shoes, and her special order bridal blue insole is just the perfect touch!

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Kate Foster, I was born in Edinburgh almost 32 years ago now though moving to the South East of England at the age of 10 has meant my accent is all but gone, (I get tutted at by my fiancé Nic for the way I pronounce things “Northern”).

I work for Tesco as a Communications Manager; it’s all a bit new at the moment as I have only joined them in January. Outside of work I really enjoy spending time with my darling fiancé Nic. We both love a bargain so can be found most weekends trawling car boot sales, flea markets and antique fairs. I collect 1980’s toys so I am always on the lookout for a My Little Pony or Rainbow Brite figure!

We have been known to spend the odd weekend enjoying 1940/50’s fairs and recreation events. Half my salary goes on lovely 50’s style clothing these days, the other half goes on building up my collection of tattoos.

What inspired your shoe design?

My shoes are very special; they will be my wedding shoes. Nic and I got engaged in Spain in September 2012 and plan to have our wedding in May 2014. I know that seems like a very long time to have my shoes sitting in a box waiting to be used, but my lovely future mother-in-law wanted me to have something that I could look at every day and get excited about the big day. Both she and Nic saw the many, many designs that I was looking at and gave me ideas and feedback. I think Nic was a little unsure about me having studded leopard print wedding shoes, but now that they’re here he sees just how much I love them. There is no way that I could have a pair of “standard” wedding shoes and my current shoe collection contains some exciting designs already.

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?

First thought when the box arrived was “Yippee” and from there it soon went to “Oh wow”. From the packaging to the handwritten note, it just added to the whole feeling of how special these shoes were and how brilliant Upper Street’s service is. The materials are great quality and I love the mix of textures that they have.

Have you worn your shoes yet? What did your friends think?

As I have said they are not due to be worn for a while yet, but I have danced about the living room in them! I won’t wear them out until after the wedding day but I think after that they will become a staple in my wardrobe – especially as they are so comfortable!

Thank you Kate for sharing your alternative bridal shoes secrets with us! It’s obvious you can’t wait to wear them on your wedding day and we look forward to seeing your wedding photos.

If you are interested in designing alternative bridal shoes, our alternative bridal shoes design guide has plenty of tips and advice.  You can also browse our vintage bridal shoe gallery or our 50′s shoe gallery, where you can customise all the designs. For more information on the bridal blue shoe insole that Kate added to her shoe, read Upper Street’s special order blog.

Alternatively you can book a personal appointment with us at our London Studio where you can try shoes on for sizing and view swatches of our huge range of materials. To book call us on  + 44 (0) 845 680 9365 or email us iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

Design your own shoes with Upper Street >>

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

This week’s Shoe Design of the Week comes from Caroline, whose yellow patent bridal shoes were inspired by her groom’s yellow socks. This then lead to a yellow themed wedding and a bright yellow wedding car roaming around the Italian countryside of Florence. Read more on how Caroline came to design these yellow patent sandals as her bridal shoes.

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m Caroline, originally from West Sussex, but have been in London for much of the past decade and currently live in East Dulwich with my new husband, Ben and our 2 cats. I work in Central London in property investment, and am currently completing the last year of a part-time distance degree. My interests include photography and travelling.

What inspired your shoe design?

My shoes were designed for my wedding that took place in Florence, Italy in September last year. I ended up buying 3 pairs of shoes in total for my wedding before finally deciding that only a bespoke pair fitted the bill! My original pair were a very traditional ivory satin, but when Ben decided he and his ushers were going to have bright yellow socks to match the wedding flowers (sunflowers) I asked the question why the hell wasn’t I having some fantastic bright yellow shoes?! I then spent hours searching for the perfect pair, which proved fruitless until I finally fell upon Upper Street. The colour scheme then almost created itself from there and we actually ended up with a bright yellow wedding car as a result!

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?

I loved them, they were exactly what I had wanted. I was determined to have a very elegant, pretty pair of shoes to match the feel of the wedding, but at the same time wanted them to be extremely yellow! The patent fabric we used was perfect for the boldness of the colour and the gorgeous bow and elegant heel made me feel like a real lady!

Have you worn your shoes yet?

Yes! For the whole wedding day, they were a huge success. I tried to keep them as secret as possible so that when people first saw them peeking out of my dress they would be a surprise. Everyone loved them, they were so surprised that I’d had something so unusual made, it was fantastic how well they went with the rest of the wedding and made a real talking point. I can’t wait to wear them again, the benefit of having statement wedding shoes is you’re more likely to wear them after the wedding. My plan is to wear them with summer dresses and jeans once the summer returns next year.

Did you know Upper Street offers an exclusive range of special orders so you can make your own design shoes even more unique with just a few personal touches?

Our special orders include:

A beautiful blue leather insole: for brides looking for ‘Something blue’

Personal inscription: whatever message you want, you can add it in gold and silver lettering to your insole

Make your shoe with your own material: match your outfit or use your family colours

Your own personal shoe last: shoes that are shaped to your feet

Luxe materials: A stunning range of metellic suedes, snakeskins and fish skins, exclusive to the Upper Street Studio

Bridal blue leather insole

Wear your ‘Somthing blue’ on your feeet by adding our blue leather insole to your personally designed bridal shoes. This option isn’t just for brides, anyone can choose to have a different coloured insole.

Cost: £30 – to order please contact Lizzie, our Customer Relations Manager on 0845 6809365 or email her at iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

Personalise your shoe with your own inscription

You can customise your shoes by adding a personal inscription to the insole in gold or silver lettering. You can write anything from the date of your wedding, a message from a loved one or ‘designed by me’.

Read the story of Upper Street bride, Ali Rhodes who chose to have her wedding date inscribed in her shoes.

Cost: £60 for up to 30 characters – to order call Lizzie on 0845 6809365 or email her at iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

Design  your shoe with your own material

If you have the perfect material in mind for your shoes; perhaps a family tartan or the material your dress is made from, then we can make your shoes using that fabric. Upper Street bride, Lianne, wanted her bridal shoes to reflect her Scottish heritage, so she sourced a Royal Stewart tartan and Upper Street made her a truly unique wedding shoe.

Cost: £40 (you need to supply the material) – to order call Lizzie on 0845 6809365 or email her at iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

Design your shoes with our exclusive Luxe materials

Exclusive to the Upper Street Studio is our beautiful range of Luxe metallic suedes, snakeskins and fish skins.

On her Studio appointment, Irish fashion journalist, Lorna Claire Weightman from StyleIsle.ie fell in love with Upper Street’s Luxe two-tone silver snakeskin and used it to design her unique bridal shoes. Read all about Lorna’s wedding shoe design

Cost: £60 for use on the majority of the shoe, £30 when used as an accent. To see and feel our full range of Luxe materials, please book  your free Studio appointment

Solve your shoe fitting dilemmas, have your own shoe last made

For some of us it can seem impossible to find shoes that fit correctly, however we have a solution to your problem. You can have your very own shoe last made. That is exactly what Margaret chose to do and she instantly fell back in love with shoes again.

In Margaret’s own words, “I think it’s fair to say that I felt empowered by the design process. These were my shoes and it gave me back the control I’d lost when I couldn’t buy shoes in shops” Read more about her story

Cost: From £400 – to order call Lizzie on 0845 6809365 or email her at iloveshoes@upperstreet.com

If you’re interested in adding any of our special orders to  your own design shoes please call us on 0845 6809365 or email us at iloveshoes@upperstreet.com and we’ll be delighted to help you.

Design your own shoes with Upper Street >>

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.